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' Modem 2 Shegts-Sheet 1.

E. HARRISON. I Fume Condenser.

No. 242,127. Patented May 31,1881.

\ Inventor.

(No Model.) 2Sheets-Sheet 2. E. HARRISON.

Fume Condenser.

' No. 242,127. Patented May 31, 1881.

N. mus, mvuwpm Waohinflon. n. a

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN HARRISON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

FUME-CONDENSER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,127, dated May 31, 1881.

' Application filed July 24, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN HARRISON, of St. Louis, Missouri, have made a new and useful Improvementin Fume-Condensers, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being h ad to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of the improvement; Fig. 2, a sectional elevation taken on the line 00 .10 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3, a plan; Fig. 4, a vertical section taken on the line or m of Figs. 2 and 3; Fig. 5, a horizontal section taken through the condenser on the line 90 x of Fig. 2, and showing the perforated disk; and Fig. 6, a detail, being a plan showing the slit-plate used in assisting the distribution of the fume ladcn gas beneath the perforated sheet.

The same letters denote the same parts.

The presentinvention is an improvement in that class of fume condensers wherein the smoke or fume-laden gas is purified by being passed through a body of water.

In this condenser the following results are obtained: As the gas is forced through the perforated disk (which may be of wood or metal) numberless bubbles are formed, great agitation of the water produced above the disk in the chamber H, and a thorough breaking 'up and mixing of the gas and water effected, en-

passes, many times as much surface as it would if forced into the water and allowed to escape in an unbroken body, and in proportion to the thoroughness with which the body of fumeladen gas'is broken up audits particles brought in contact with the particles of water is the efficiency of the condenser. Now, it is difficult to effect a thorough breaking up of the gas-body in a body of water without employing a considerable depth of water .through which the bubbles of gas are to ascend; and the greater the depth to which the gas is forced below the natural level of the water before it is allowed to begin its ascent in the form of bubbles the greater the amount of power required and consequent expense to force the gas against the head of water.

To obviate the difficulties named and to enable the smoke to be thoroughly brought in contact with the water, andin such Way as to reduce the resistance the smoke has to encounter in its transit to a minimum, is mainly the aim of this improvement, which is carried out as follows:

Arepresents the flue, through which the fumes in question are delivered to the condenser, E B B B representing a series of any desired num ber of exhaust and pressure blowers, which receive the fumes from the flue and force them through the pipe 0 into and through the condenser D; thence to escape through the dis.- charge-pipeE. which, in turn, may lead back into the flueAor to anyothcr desired point offinal escape. The pipe 0 is of about the same size and proportions as the flue A; but the chamber F of the condenser, into which the fumes are first delivered from the pipe 0, is extended laterally to the full width of the condenser, from f to f, Fig. 3, for the purpose of enabling the body of gas entering the condenser to spread itself out in a thin sheet over the water (shown at G, Fig. 2,) to the full width of the broad condenser; and just in proportion to the extent of such spreading of the gas above the water can the depression of the water between the chambers F and H be reduced and the pressure of gas due to the head of water to be overcome be avoided.

In addition to the chamber F the condenser contains a chamber, H, wherein the fume-1aden gases enter, pass below, and emerge upward through the perforated plate K and the body of water which exists, and is sustained by displacement from the space I above said plate. The chamber H may be higher than the chamber F, and should be high enough to prevent any considerable portion of water bubbles and spray from being carried up by the draft of bers. The space 1 between the chambers F and II is elongated horizontally in the direction of the passage of the smoke, separating the chambers F aml 11 several feet apart.

Theoperationisasfollows: The gasorsmoke to be purified and the fumes to be condensed being forced by the blowers I B I; I; (or other suitable blowing apparatus) into the chamber F of the condenser, the solid particles that have bet u mechanically sustained and carried along by the moving smoke partly drop into that part of the bottom of the condenser which is immediately beneath the chamber F. Those lighter portions of the fumes which to be condensed and arrested require to be so arrested by a more thorough washing of the smoke are carried along through the space i I. At the farther end of this space a toothed plate, J, Figs. 2 and 6, is arranged. This plate is of the shape shown more distinctly in Fig. ti, having a series of openings or slits,jj, which widen toward the end of the plate farthest from the chamber F, and the plate is fixed in the inclined position shown in Fig. .3. The ot'tice of this plate is to prevent the tiowing gaseous body from escaping from the space i immediately upward through that side of the perforated plate K which is nearest to the chamber F into the chamber ll, aml to cause it to be more evenly distributed throughout the space under the plate K, and so that it shall pass up as evenly as possible through the openings 7. 7; of said perforated plate K. The latter is of metal or other suitable substance, aml is arranged in the condenser at the lower part ofthe chamber 11, at or near the level of the space I, (the space 1 is on a level with and is an extension beneath the chamber ll of the space 1,) aml that serves to bring the gas more thoroughly in contact with the water by breaking up the body of gas into innumerable bubbles, as above described. The water ti, when quiet, fills the space I l and stands in the chambers 1 ll at or slightly above the level of the plate K. \Yhen the smoke is being forced through the condenser the eti'ect is to depress the water in the chamber F and space I and to raise it in the chamber ll. ()wing, however, to the breadth of the condenser the water-level needs to be depressed but a short distance-in practice but from a few inches to one foot. The wateelcvel in the chamber ll is correspondingly raised above the plate K, where it is kept suspended aml agitated, as aforesaid, by the pressure and upward current of the gas forced through it by the blowing machinery.

The present condenser is in use, being employed to purify the smoke of all kinds of mechanieally-suspended metallic fumes and of all kinds of volatile and soluble salts, oxides, aml acids, which pass ot'i'from the furnaces through the flue A, the blowers B 13 B B, the condenser D, and pipe E, to a chimney. (not shown.) The flue A is beneath the ground surface a, and when it is desired to use the condenser a gate, L, is let down to close the fine at a point between the blowers and the point-where the pipe E re-entcrs the flue A.

The bottom of the condenser is formed into a series of hoppers, M M M M, which taper, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and which are furnished with stop-cocks m m to enable the fame sediment and semi-fluid material which gathers in the condenser to be discharged from time to time, as may be desired.-. By thus constructing its bottom the condenser can be expeditiously and economically cleaned.

The plate K is connected with the side h of the chamber II, but it does not extend entirely across to the other three sides, h h h of said chamber, and from the three edges of said plate next to said sides h h h depends vertically an imperl'orate tlange or apron, k, of sheet-iron or other suitable material dropping from the said plate low enough to prevent the escape of the gas below the lower edge and to the outside of said apron. Said apron is also extended and attached to the sides of the condenser in, or nearly in, the line of the side It of the chamber 11, as shown at 79, Fig. 2, in order to prevent the gas from escaping from the space I to the space outside of said apron. This apron also permits a downward current of fume-laden water next to and outside of the apron, and so that the water may the more easily deposit its contents in the hoppers.

1 claim- 1. The condenser I), having the plate J, having the openings j j, and the perforated plate K, combined and operating substantially as described.

2. 1n the condenser I), the inclined and toothed plate J, and the plate K, perforated, held, and extended as described, and provided with the flange It, substantially as shown and described.

3. The condenser I), having the chamber 11, space I, and plate K, said plate being perforated aml extended as described,and provided with the impert'orate apron 7;,extendingaround the three edges of the plate K, substantially as described.

4. The condenser I), having the chambers F 11 and the space I I of uniform width, and elongated to separate said chambers, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the pipes U E and the condenser l), the latter having the chambers F 11, water-space I 1, plate J, and perforated plate K, said plate J having the openings j j, and said plate K being separated at three edges from the side of the chamber H, substantially as described.

ED\VIN HARRISON.

Witnesses G. H. LOKER, Jr., J. W. SEAGER, Jr. 

